Changes
by Elessthehedgecat
Summary: Only two things frighten Sonic the Hedgehog, water, and love. Now Sonic will be forced to confront both. Simultaneously. A sonamy story. // CHAPTER 2 HAS BEEN UPLOADED
1. Ch 1: Camping

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any of the characters featured in this story.

Authors note: I know fanfics are rare from me, but I had the urge to write this, after this came to me suddenly in a day dream. I will try my best to finish it. I hope you enjoy it!

SUMMARY: Only two things frighten Sonic the Hedgehog, water, and love. Now Sonic will be forced to confront both. Simultaneously. A sonamy story.

EDIT:: Okay I have added quite a bit more in this chapter, and fixed mistakes, so it should be a lot better.

* * *

Changes

Don't get me wrong, camping is my thing. It's just that if I were alone I would have gotten there by now. Humans are excruciatingly slow. I waited at the top of the sloped landscape, tapping my foot impatiently. Shadow was the only one able to keep up, and rested against a tree nearby, his backpack on the ground next to him. I saw his amused expression out of the corner of my eye.

"Relax Sonic, we have all day." He chuckled. He had become easier to live with lately, and was certainly a lot friendlier than the first day he came to stay with the Thorndykes and the rest of us. I could find myself having conversations with him, without it ending in a fight. However he was still Shadow, a 50-something year old weapon, I don't really blame him for being a little cranky from time to time.

"Gees no wonder we had to leave so early, we'll barely make it by nightfall at this rate!" I grumbled.

It had been quiet for a couple of months now, since Eggman had been captured by the authorities and held in high security. I didn't believe they'd be able to hold him long, but everyone seemed to be convinced we'd seen the last of his attacks. So that's why the Thorndykes had decided we all needed a break, thus the oh-so-exhilarating camping trip. We had travelled a long way from Station Square, up into the mountains. It was untouched terrain here, trees of all different shapes and sizes lined the barely distinguishable dirt path we were following, and they towered over us, making it feel a bit claustrophobic. It was the kind of place that reminded me of home, comforting. I wiped the sweat that had formed on my forehead with the back of my hand. It was unusually humid today, but not unbearable. Not to me at least.

My annoyance turned to relief as Knuckles appeared through the thick forestation, followed by the rest of the party. I grinned at him as he met me carrying two large backpacks, one of them being distinctively more feminine. Rouge followed closely behind, touching his shoulder in a not-so-subtle way, and then walking off, hips swinging, to talk to Shadow. I grinned wider at Knuckles, whose muzzle turned deep crimson in embarrassment.

"Shut up." He said, crossing his arms and turning away.

"I didn't say anything" I said with fake innocence in my voice. Rouge had also come to stay with us; in fact it was because of her that Shadow did as well. They were close friends, and Shadow seemed to be quite loyal to her. Knuckles didn't like that, so he had been hanging around a lot more lately.

It wasn't long before we were joined by Chris and his Grandfather, Chuck, who was holding a large, abused map out in front of him, his bushy eyebrows furrowed with concentration. Tails, Cream and Cheese sauntered up next, seeming to enjoy the trip. I smiled as the image of them skipping hand in hand flashed through my mind; I'd have to tease Tails about that later. My smile quickly vanished though when I realised not everyone was present.

"Tails, where's Amy?" I asked him as he passed me. He turned around and smiled at me reassuringly.

"She's not far behind, but I think she's having a bit of trouble." He said and pointed out towards the clearing they'd just come from. Right on cue she emerged out of the bushes, and staggered over to a nearby tree and rested her shoulder against it, panting. I was in front of her in a second.

"Hey, are you okay?" I had meant it to sound teasing; however I couldn't hide the concern in my voice. She looked up at me smiling weakly, a line of sweat collecting on her brow.

"Yeah, I guess I don't do so well in heat." She forced a laugh and straightened up slowly. I couldn't shake the feeling that something else was wrong, she was always so full of energy, and a little hot weather never stopped her before. She must have seen the concern in my eyes "Seriously, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." I reached behind her and slipped her backpack off of her shoulders easily "You sure you can make it up the hill?"

"I'm quite sure Sonic, but thanks for the concern." She smiled weakly, and started to walk, or maybe stagger would better describe it, up the hill. I slung her backpack over one shoulder and walked behind her, making sure she didn't fall over. As we reached the top I could see the rest of the party were getting ready to head off again, and heard Amy reach the same conclusion and groan.

"Come on! We're nearly there, just a few more miles!" Chuck called out as he led the way. Amy groaned louder.

"We'll catch up Chuck! Go on without us!" I called back. I then took Amy's hand and led her off to the side of the path and sat her down on a moss-covered boulder, setting her bag next to it. She didn't look well, even when she tried to disguise it with a smile; her eyebrows were creased, making her expression look off. I knelt down to her level and placed a gloved hand on her forehead; it was burning hot, even through the glove! "You're burning up." I murmured, and placed both hands on each side of her flushed face, feeling the heat radiating from her. Her eyes were wide as she stared into mine, and it was then I realised my face was only inches from hers; I could feel her hot breath on my face. My eyes widened and I froze.

The thought took me completely by surprise, and it enveloped me so quickly it winded me. The powerful urge shot through my veins and threatened to take control of my every muscle. It chanted its urgent demands in my ear, not to be ignored, to be obeyed.

KISS HER.

I jumped back in shock, landing awkwardly on my backside and quickly scrambling to my feet, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment. Her face was shocked as she watched me, her expression mirroring mine. I straightened up and composed my face, making my expression apologetic.

"Uh, s-sorry." Was all I could manage to say to her. I looked away to where the others had left, hoping to god that nobody had decided to stay behind. I heard her giggle, and turned back in surprise to see her amused expression.

"That's okay; it's pretty rocky around here." She said... Huh?

"Um... What?" She giggled again; I must have had a stupid look on my face

"You fell over." She elaborated. Oh good, she thought I fell. That'll save us some awkward conversations.

"Oh, yeah. Yes I did." I couldn't help but laugh too, if not out of relief. It was quiet for a moment, as I examined her face from where I stood. Her lips were turned up in a small, shy smile, and she looked up at me from under her long eyelashes. It wasn't a look I was used to, so I couldn't help but stare. Usually whenever she was with me, her eyes were large and excited and she wore a wide grin, a child-like expression. Lately though I had noticed a change in her, she was more mellow and down to earth than before. She would not get upset because of little things like she had before. The most dramatic change, to me anyway, was that she would not obsess over me like she used to. She would not run up and cling to me in tears after a battle with Eggman, she didn't push her romantic intentions on me every day, and she didn't even feel the need to be next to me at the dinner table or on the couch watching TV! I was afraid for a while that I'd done something to upset her, and I confronted her about it. She hadn't even noticed the change in herself. After many nights thinking, I had come up with two reasons for why she had changed.

Reason 1: She wasn't in love with me anymore.

I quickly dismissed this reason, because it was impossible. Sure it wasn't as obvious as before, but I could still see it in subtle ways, like the way she stared at me from across the room. It still hurt me to think about it though. I quickly moved on to reason 2.

Reason 2: She had simply matured.

She was not the little girl she once was now; she was growing into a mature young lady. She had grown out of playing games with Cream and had now become good friends with Rouge, not the best influence I might add. She even wore a different outfit, her red dress replaced with a red tank top and knee-length jeans. It wasn't hard to notice the physical change in her as well, but I tried not to think about that too much, especially since every time I did I would find myself fantasising about her in a way I had not before. Not that trying not to think about her helped, because she would always find her way back into my thoughts. I realised I had been staring at her longer than it was polite to, and cleared my throat to clear the air.

"Come on then, we have to catch up." I uttered as I started to walk back towards her.

"Oh, no, I'll just slow you down, you go ahead Sonic." She would never have refused an offer like I'd just made before. She was becoming a bit more selfless, but still just as stubborn.

"Amy, I'm not going to leave you behind when you have a fever like that." I said as slung her backpack over my shoulder again, then picked her up off the rock and held her in my arms, bridal style. I chuckled at her face, embarrassed and pouting at me, and started to jog in the direction I'd seen the others going.

As I held Amy in my arms, feeling her gaze on my face, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction, like my arms had been missing something and they'd just found it. How strange that I should feel that way. I let my mind wander as I kept my eyes in front of me, avoiding Amy's eyes. I was deliberately avoiding having to think about what just happened back there, but I couldn't delay it for much longer. That was the first time anything like that had happened. Sure I had thought about what it would be like to kiss Amy before, but it had never been such a strong urge. It felt as though I was being pulled in like a magnet! I could so easily have surrendered. All it took was to move in a few inches and our lips would have met. I wondered what that would have been like, to kiss Amy. To feel her tantalising lips move against mine. To feel her hands move through my quills, as I push her closer with my hand placed at the small of her back. To slide my tongue against her bottom lip-

Arrgh... I shook my head violently, earning a confused look from the girl I had just fantasised about. I smiled sheepishly down at her and picked up my speed. I didn't trust myself to be alone with her anymore.

----

We finally caught up to the rest after a while, and it appeared as though we'd arrived at our destination. The party had gathered in a large, flat clearing, perfect for camping. Chris, Knuckles and Tails were all setting up their tents; I assumed Rouge manipulated Knuckles into doing hers, as she sat on the nearest boulder adjusting her makeup. Chuck sat slumped next to a tree resting, more like gasping for air. Cream and Cheese sat in an already made up tent, unpacking various items. Shadow had bought in a pile of fire wood and was setting it up in the middle of the clearing. Knuckles looked up from his now completed tent, and grinned at me smugly, and I realised I was still holding Amy in my arms. Blushing, I set her on her feet, and walked over to Shadow, avoiding her eyes. I sat on one of the boulders surrounding the campfire he was building and watched him work, not able to keep my eyes from shifting over to Amy, who sat talking with Rouge.

"Are you going to make yourself useful or not?" Shadow grunted, one eyebrow lifted at my detachment. I looked down at him and grinned, trying to act more normal than I felt today.

"You look like you have it pretty under control there." I said. He narrowed his eyes at me and frowned in disapproval. "Okay, okay! Easy on the death stare." I laughed, and kneeled on the ground with him, handing him firewood from the pile behind us. I had hoped keeping myself busy would keep my mind off of her, but I couldn't help but sneak a glance. She was still sitting on a boulder with Rouge, who sat on an angle away from her to flirt with Knuckles, who stood against a tree with his arms crossed in an attempt to look distant. He was transparent. My eyes didn't linger on them long, and I switched back to Amy. Her expression was tranquil, and her head tilted towards the sky a little, feeling a cool breeze fan against her. She still looked like she had a fever, sweat was just about pouring from her face. I watched as a drop trickled down her forehead, across her cheek, down her neck and onto her... chest...

"They're called breasts Sonic." I heard Shadow chuckle, and I snapped my head to face his teasing smirk. My head sank and I blushed, realising I'd been caught.

"Shut up." I quoted Knuckles from before, the irony not lost on me.

----

It had been maybe half an hour, and everything was set. The tents were pitched, beds made and we had all just had a late lunch. Thankfully Ella thought to pack us a lunch and dinner so we didn't have to go out and find food, which was good cause I didn't see anything that was barely edible on the way. I sat against the trunk of a tree with my arms crossed behind my head and my eyes closed, full and content. I stirred slightly and opened one of my eyes at the sound of loud laughing. Knuckles and Shadow had broken off from the group, like me, to rest on their own. The rest were gathered around the not yet lit campfire and chattering away. I looked at each of their faces, all having fun, and quickly realised an absence. Amy was gone, again. I jumped to my feet immediately and re-joined the group. Tails jumped as I suddenly appeared at his side.

"Hey guys, where did Amy go?" I asked as casually as I could manage, ignoring Knuckles's comment, something about being clingy. Rouge looked up at me and smirked, I wasn't fooling anybody today it seemed.

"She's got a bit of a fever, so she went for a swim to cool off." She said

"There's water around here?" Cream interjected excitedly, apparently she wasn't told either.

"Oh yes, there's a small stream not far from here, the water is really clean too, one of the reasons this is my favourite camping spot." Chuck explained, everyone seemed to be distracted by this, except Rouge and I.

"Grampa! Why didn't you tell us that before, I could have bought my swim trunks!" Chris complained. Wait, does that mean Amy knew? Rouge must have seen my puzzled expression, as she summoned me over with two fingers.

"She really needed to cool off, she was steaming hot," She whispered to me as I leaned in, the others too busy complaining to Chuck to notice us "and Chuck said the water was pretty clean, so I just told her to improvise." I looked at her disapprovingly.

"She went in with her clothes on?" She shook her head, and my eyes widened and my jaw dropped

"She went in WITHOUT her clothes on?" I tried to keep my voice low, as appalled as I was. She looked just about on the verge of breaking into laughter, but kept her face composed somehow.

"Oh, and I think she forgot her towel." Oh god. "Would you mind" Oh god. "Bringing it to her?" She finished as she lifted my jaw back up with one finger under my chin.

----

How the hell did I get roped into this...? Why couldn't Rouge do it? Or Cream? Anyone but ME! ... Okay not Shadow. Or Knuckles. Or any other male on the face of the earth. I walked slowly, towel in hand (why did she bring a towel but no swim suit?), in the direction Rouge pointed me in.

I knew I was being immature; Amy was my friend after all. Yeah. Just a friend. An increasingly hard to resist friend who was now naked and wet.

... Oh god.

I don't know what it was that kept me going; normally that sort of thinking would send me in the other direction screaming, unfortunately nothing about today was normal. I soon heard the quiet babbling of the running stream. I could barely hear it over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears though. I didn't expect to arrive so quickly, and my heart froze as I saw her, back facing me, naked, in clear as glass water. I immediately shut my eyes tight, my muzzle burning and my heart starting back up like the flutter of a humming bird's wings. However my legs forgot to stop moving.

My eyes shot open and shut again as I felt myself trip over something hard, like a rock. I couldn't stop myself then from stumbling forward, and I soon felt the water envelop me with a splash. My first reaction with water, panic. Grab onto the nearest thing and to keep myself afloat. So I did. My eyes opened slowly, and I froze, the blood draining from my face and my lip quivering. I had grabbed onto Amy. Naked Amy. She stared back at me with the same horrified expression, silent.

... Oh... Shit...

* * *

That was the scene that came to me XD I will continue as soon as I can. Please Review! ^___^


	2. Ch 2: Spooning

Out of all the punishments Amy had given me in the time that we'd known each other, this was the worst. I wish she would just yell at me, beat me with her hammer till I was a smudge on the floor, anything but this.

We had all come back from the disastrous camping trip after one night, as planned. Everyone had a great time, oblivious to what had happened. She didn't tell a single person, at least that's what I assumed; I hadn't received any disgusted glares, or been the subject of humiliation from Knuckles or Shadow. Everything was as it should have been; they roasted marshmallows, exchanged 'scary' stories, all that cliché campy stuff. Yes, very normal...

...Except for the dragging, torturous silence from Amy.

When I realised what I had done that day, I shot out of there like a bat out of hell, not looking back. I had never been so embarrassed in my entire life. The wait for her back at the camp had been pure agony. I sat huddled against a tree holding my knees to me chest, thinking of all the ways I could make it up to her, to say how truly sorry I was, and also all the ways she could punish me. I would welcome the punishment, I deserved it. I had received quite a few questioning looks in that period of time, which I ignored. My face must have looked as distressed as I felt. She finally walked through the bushes into the campsite after a few ridiculously long minutes, and I was ready to face the consequences. I looked up at her apologetically, but she looked away quickly as soon as she met my eyes, and went to her tent, her face blank. The rest of the night passed, slowly, without one word to each other. We sat on opposite sides of the camp fire with the rest of the group, avoiding each other's gazes. I was surprised nobody confronted one of us; we were both completely silent the whole night. I was suffering, and I'm sure she was too. I wanted desperately to talk to her, to know what she was thinking and how she felt, and if she completely hated me now. I didn't sleep well that night.

I yawned loudly, again. I was now sitting on the couch in the Thorndykes' living room, staring drowsily into space. The TV was on, but I wasn't watching it, too engrossed in my thoughts. The room was empty, and it occurred to me suddenly that they had all gone to have lunch out. The last time I had been paying attention there had been a few of them around, walking about busily. I had only snapped out of my thoughts those brief few seconds when Amy walked past the couch, exiting the room quickly without so much as a glance. I could stand any other punishment she could dish out, but the silent treatment was more than I could bear. I sighed heavily in frustration these recollections were bringing me and switched the TV off, tossing the remote onto the coffee table. I decided I wouldn't think about it anymore, or try not to; I would deal with it later. I lied across the couch and placed my arms behind my head as a head rest. Fatigue washed over me almost instantly and my eyelids drooped shut on their own, and I let sleep wash over me and pull me deeper into unconsciousness. Despite my body's efforts to relieve my exhaustion however, I could not stop the thoughts that buzzed through my mind. Something was changing, I couldn't quite tell what it was exactly, and why it kept me so on edge, but it was definitely happening. I could feel it with every fibre of my being. I had spent nights trying to pinpoint it, decode the intuition I had and the possible evidence to this theory, but I was struggling to find answers. I had once thought that it was the change in Amy I had been witnessing, the sudden maturity she had gained, but it couldn't have been. What I had been feeling was much bigger than that, it felt life changing, and it was coming on fast. My mind suddenly recalled what had happened between Amy and me the other day on the camping trip, when that urge had almost taken control of me. I remembered with perfect clarity the way her eyes widened, those beautiful jade eyes, which frequently rendered me either speechless or babbling like an idiot. The way her breath sped up, and the way it felt hot on my face, and the oddly sweet scent that made my mouth water. I especially remembered the thousands of emotions that rushed through me at the moment, most of them too foreign and new that they confused me even now. The urge I had that day was the strongest I had ever felt, but it wasn't a first. Things like this had been occurring for a long time, but it was more frequent now. I would often glance at Amy, and find myself unable to look away. My chest would be filled with a fluttering sort of feeling and my face would become hot, and my mind drifted to daydreams of myself being with her, and being happy, instead of uncomfortable. Although, lately those daydreams were becoming more and more... Explicit. I would have to run out of the room before I acted on those thoughts. My dreams were even worse (and so much better at the same time), because I couldn't control the direction of my thoughts like I could when I'd be conscious. I was baffled by this; I didn't know what to make of it. I'd never felt this way before or experienced anything like it! I was confused, and frustrated, and needed to know what was happening to me. I needed to see Amy, I needed to talk with her, badly. My body could take no more of the stress this was bringing me, tired as I was, and the flow of my thoughts began to slow. I sighed in relief as I drifted into a dream, where my regular visitor waited with a smile on her face, as always.

-----

"Wow Amy, you sure do look tired!" Cream squeaked beside me, her high pitched voice bringing me out of my daydream. I shifted my gaze to her amused face from the window I was staring out of, counting the trees we were passing.

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs Thorndyke said with an unnecessarily concerned tone.

"I haven't been sleeping very well." I couldn't help yawning mid-sentence, and I wondered if I had been intelligible.

"I don't think that's what she meant." Tails said, and everyone in the limousine turned to watch me

"You've been unusually quiet, dear, that's not like you." Ella explained. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, had I been that obvious? I shifted in my seat uncomfortably as everyone continued to appraise me.

"Honestly, it's nothing. I just have a lot on my mind right now." I assured them, shifting my eyes from their stares and looking at my hands resting on my lap. I heard a few unconvinced murmurs, and just as suddenly as their conversation had broken off, it continued again, as if Cream hadn't said anything. Satisfied that the attention had shifted from me, I leaned my head back on my seat and let my gaze drift out the window next to me again.

We had just gone out to lunch to celebrate Mr and Mrs Thorndykes' wedding anniversary, and were on our way home. Almost everyone had come, even Knuckles and Rouge (he was originally not coming, but changed his mind the second he knew Rouge was coming). The only exceptions were Shadow, who said he had better things to do (he still didn't feel comfortable in public gatherings like this), and... Sonic.

Normally I would have tried to convince him to come with us, but we were still too awkward around each other to speak. I despised the silence, I wanted so much to say something to him, anything, but I didn't know what to say, and I was way too gutless to say it first. It had been like this since a few days ago, the camping trip. I had been feeling awful that day, it was already humid, but I had a fever to go with it. I was practically panting with the heat, and sweating like crazy. Rouge suggested that I cool off in the nearby stream, and I was mentally kicking myself for not packing my swimsuit. She must have taken advantage of my weak state of mind, but she somehow convinced me to go in without my clothes. I glanced over at Rouge as I thought of her, who gave me a wink and went back to socialising with the others. I was sure she knew.

The cool, clear water of the stream was like heaven on my overheated body; my fever broke only after a few minutes. I was shielded from the hot sunlight and humidity by the shades of the surrounding trees towering over me, I felt almost chilled. It was peaceful in that secluded spot, I could only hear the small splashes I made as I swam around. After a few minutes I thought I could hear the sound of footsteps in the grass, but I dismissed it quickly, simply not caring, as relaxed as I was. A huge splash disrupted my serenity then, and I turned around, half surprised, and half irritated. Next thing I knew, Sonic was holding onto me, trying to keep himself afloat. The look on his face as he looked up and met my gaze was one of utter shock, and then panic. Then as quickly as he came, he vanished, leaving behind a towel that landed on the grass beside the stream. I stood still in the water for a few minutes, staring at where he ran off.

After the shock wore off, a thousand different emotions rushed through me, I didn't know what to feel. First, embarrassment; I was absolutely mortified that I'd been naked not only in his presence, but we were so close too! Then anger; had he known I was naked when he grabbed me? And what on god's green earth was he doing there? Then curiosity; what WAS he doing there? Only Rouge knew where I was going. And he had brought a towel with him as well; as if he knew I would need it. Then back to anger; Rouge told him. Did that mean he knew I'd be naked? The pervert! The next emotion caught me completely by surprise; and I didn't know of a word how to explain it. Why would I be happy about him knowing? That he'd come, knowing I'd be the way I was, with the towel I'd forgotten to bring? I quickly understood then, that he'd done it for me. I'd have to go back to the campsite for the towel if he hadn't brought it to me. I knew he wasn't a pervert, he was probably just as mortified as I was, that explained why he bolted so fast. I finally decided to settle on understanding, and I smiled to myself. As I walked back to the campsite, dry and fully dressed, I was nervous, but intent on what I would say. Sooner than I expected, the trees parted and I stepped into the campsite, meeting his eyes from across the site. My stomach dropped and fear ripped through me, I suddenly forgot what I was going to say to him, and I chickened out, dropping my eyes to the ground and moving swiftly to my tent.

Since then, I had been trying to talk to him, each time letting my nerves get the best of me. I didn't understand why I was so afraid to talk to him, it was as if everything had changed in that one moment. I suppose being naked in front of a boy, let alone the one you've had a crush on since before I could remember, does that to you. I felt the car come to a sudden stop, and as I snapped my head up and watched everyone climb out, I realised that we were home. The familiar butterflies began to flutter in my stomach, as I realised what came next. No. I can't back out of this again. I have to talk to him. I exited the car and headed straight for the house, I was going to take advantage of this sudden confidence now before I talked myself out of it.

---

He was so adorable I forgot what it was I was going to do. I stood in front of the couch with a hand over my mouth, muffling the giggles. There was Sonic, lying across the couch with one arm resting behind his head, snoring quietly. His expression was one I only saw when he was asleep like this, not his usual cocky smirk, but a sincere and deeply serene smile. I shook my head and smiled at him, he always had a way of changing my mood so dramatically.

"Well, this is cute and all, but I have to pack." Rouge said and walked out of the living room. I suddenly remembered that I wasn't alone with him.

"Maybe we should let him sleep, he's been looking pretty run down lately." Tails said, I jumped as I realised he was standing right next to me. By this time, everyone who had come to see Sonic were leaving to go and pack for the upcoming trip. I watched each of them walk out of the room, and turned back to Sonic, still snoring away.

"Aren't you coming Amy?" Cream asked me as she went to leave.

I turned to her and smiled "In a minute, Cream."

"Kay!" She squeaked and hopped out the door, Cheese fluttering by her side.

I turned once more to Sonic, and sighed. I wasn't going to be able to talk to him today, and I didn't know when I would. Disappointed, I turned to leave as well.

"...Amy..."

I froze. Did he just wake up? Oh my god, what was I going to say to him? I felt my heart start to pound in my chest. I slowly spun back around to face him; his eyes were still closed, but he was now frowning with his eyebrows furrowed.

"...Amy..." He mumbled again. I sighed in relief, and then started to giggle. He was just sleep talking, the silly thing. It then occurred to me, was he dreaming about me? I stared down at him in wonder, watching his eyelids move as he dreamt. "...Amy." He looked increasingly distressed; I didn't like it when he was unhappy like this.

"It's alright Sonic, I'm right here." I soothed him. His face relaxed and his smile returned.

"Stay with me..." He mumbled, his free hand lifting slightly, reaching for me. My smile widened, this was so unlike him. I sat on the edge of the couch with him and gently took his hand. Suddenly his hand tightened around mine and I yelped as he pulled me down next to him. His body shifted and curved around mine and he threw his other arm around me, hugging me close to him. My eyes were wide as I took what just happened, and where I was. I was spooning with Sonic the Hedgehog. I could feel his breath on my neck, and feel his heart beat on my back. We had never been this close before, not even this close on the camping trip. I tried moving, but even a slight movement would make his arms hold me tighter to him. It didn't look like I was going anywhere, so I just relaxed. Besides, it felt incredibly comfortable in his arms, so warm. I felt my eyelids start to droop, and I let them. A short nap wouldn't hurt, surely. A sighed in contentment and let myself fall into slumber in his arms.

---

I groaned sleepily as I woke, my eyes still closed. I was annoyed that my dream was interrupted; I had Amy on the couch and was just about to take her lips. I grumbled and tried to shift over, only to find an obstacle in the way. I found my arms wrapped around something, and felt around to figure out what it was.

"Mmm..." The obstacle mumbled, and my eyes shot open. There was Amy, in my arms, sleeping soundlessly. I blinked twice, was I still dreaming? I rubbed my eyes with one hand, the other trapped under Amy. ... Amy. AMY?! What's she doing here?! I stared at the back of her head with wide eyes with my jaw hanging loose. She stirred as I shifted my arm away from under her, and she rolled over to face me, her sleepy, half open eyes meeting my wide, shocked ones. Our faces were extremely close, our noses pressed together gently, I only had to move an inch to press our lips together too. This was all too familiar. Her face showed the sudden realisation of the situation, and her eyes widened. She jerked back, nearly falling off the couch, and sat up. I followed her and sat up as well, not knowing what to do. We stared at each other for a few seconds, waiting to see who would speak up first. Or maybe she was expecting me to run. Running looked very appealing at this point.

"Um..." She started to talk very fast "I-I was going to talk to you, but you were asleep, and you said you wanted me to stay, so I did but-" she rambled "then you pulled me down and I couldn't get back up, so I fell asleep, and... And..." She broke off at the end, looking down at her hands. I didn't understand what she was talking about, but I only had to hear the first half.

"Wait, you were going to talk to me?" I asked her, my eyebrows raised

"Well, yes, I was." She mumbled, and her eyes rose to meet mine with her head still lowered in a timid fashion. Oh, she was so god damn cute. "I wanted to talk to you about... Thing that happened the other day." I was expecting this, didn't make it any easier though.

"Oh." I mumbled "Please, let me explain-"

"I wanted to thank you for what you did." She interrupted, I stared at her, dumbfounded

"...Thank... me?"

"Yes, for bringing me the towel." She explained, she went on when my face didn't change "I know it didn't go exactly how you planned it, but accidents happen." My eyebrows lifted even more in shock "If I had gone back to that place to get the towel, it would have been a thousand times worse. I guess I'm saying, I'm glad it was you who found me and not one of the others. So thank you." She finished, and smiled at me. I was silent for a moment, trying to make sense of it. I was sure that she would yell at me; accuse me of being a pervert, something along those lines, but not this.

"Oh. Well... Your welcome." I laughed at the end of the sentence, in relief. She laughed with me, the sound of it making my chest flutter.

"Well, I have to go and pack. I'll see you later!" She said, and she jumped up and walked out the door, pausing at the frame once to look back and smile. I stared after her for a few minutes; it felt like what happened was just a dream.

I ran out the back door, and I kept running. Running always seemed to clear my mind. Something about the wind rushing past my face, the exhilaration of seeing everything rush past me in a thick blur, just seemed to make everything more clear. It wasn't working today. I pushed myself further, stepping up the speed. I didn't know where I was going, but I had an idea. Every time I had to be alone to think, usually after my encounters with Amy, there was a place my body would take me. My feet skidded to a halt on their own, sending some dirt flying. Here I was, in my thinking spot. It was a secluded field full of flowers, with a few trees scattered here and there. I walked to the tallest one, and sat by the base under the shade. As soon as I did, I was hit by the barrage of thoughts and emotions that I was trying to hold back.

I couldn't believe she was actually okay with what happened! Wasn't that the type of thing that any normal girl would get pissed about? Especially someone like Amy! Did that mean she forgave me for what happened? This girl is totally unpredictable! She's difficult, and hot-headed, and... Beautiful, and adorable and...

...I just can't understand this. All of this. The dreams I'd been having, the way I feel around her, this absolutely devastating effect she has on me, and I can't even explain it. Am I attracted to her? Well... Maybe, I mean, she's gorgeous. Her body has become so defined since I've known her. She's become curvy in all the right places, it makes me want to feel just how soft she is, with my fingers lightly trailing up her form...

Yeah. I think I'm attracted to her. I guess that would explain the dreams. But is that all this is? Or is it something deeper?

No. It couldn't be. I couldn't be in love with her. Love means marriage, and babies, and mushy romantic crap like that.

Well, I don't EXACTLY know what love is. I mean, nobody was there to teach me, and I couldn't learn what it looked like or how it felt with my own parents, because I didn't know them. But it couldn't be love. If I loved Amy I would want to marry her, and I don't.

... Do I?

---

I sluggishly walked through the front door of the Thorndyke mansion; I was no closer to figuring out what was wrong with me. Maybe I would have to swallow my pride and ask one of my friends.

"There you are, Sonic! Have you even started packing for the trip?" I looked up to see Chuck with a overstuffed suitcase in his arms. I furrowed my brow in confusion, and suddenly remembered that Amy had said something about packing, but for what?

"What are we packing for?"

"Haven't you been paying attention at all? We've been talking about it for days!" Chris added as he helped his grandfather with the bags, which were being bundled on the floor by the staircase.

"Mr and Mrs Thorndyke have invited us on their cruise ship for a week to celebrate their anniversary. That's why we all went out to lunch today." Tails explained as he came down the stairs with a suitcase of his own. Packed onto a cramp (to me anyway) ship with nowhere to run, Oh what fun we're going to have.

... Amy's coming, right?

* * *

I'm very sorry for such a long delay on this chapter, I've been working on it on and off, as well as several other art projects and school assignments. Hopefully I wont take this long with the rest of the chapters, but I cant guarantee that.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^___^ PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! Greatly appreciated!


End file.
